Love for basketball and St. Edward go way back for Eric Flannery. The St. Ed grad is going into his 15th season as head basketball coach with a 258-81 record. Flannery also spent three weeks in Singapore last month as the head coach of the USA Basketball Men's Youth Olympic Games team
Interview by Sarah Hollander

Our average GPA is 3.417 on the varsity team. That's a B-plus average. What's great about a place like this is it's cool to be smart.

Life lessons, and even just the mental aspect of any game nowadays, is 90 percent of your time and effort.

I think every coach has a pet peeve about free throw shooting.

It's exactly what it is — a free shot. ... We've used all types of strategies, but we still haven't figured out the best way to use free throws as a team.

One of the things I talk about in health class is being OK with yourself. I share a story about when I was a student. In English class, when I'd have to read something aloud, as I'd turn to walk to the lectern, the whole class would duck because of my big nose. You have to be able to laugh at yourself.

I've had so many conversations with young men who need someone to talk to as a father figure or as a friend. I can't tell you how many times I've had a kid in my office one-on-one break down in tears. He's this macho guy out on the court, but when he comes in here, it's a whole different story.

Technology has a lot of influence on kids today, and I think it comes over into sports as well. We're dealing with a communication age that's so instantaneous. Not only do kids know a lot more, they also feel like they need to connect with people a lot quicker.

Their egos are being pumped probably 100 times more than they were 10 years ago with all the extra exposure.

It means a lot more when you're successful in a place that's comfortable and feels like home. Winning the state championship meant a lot more to me because I was here.